SpaceX's Starfall capsule heads to orbit for the second time
What's the story
SpaceX has launched its "Starfall" return capsule for the second time as part of the Bandwagon-5 rideshare mission. The launch took place at 7:04am EDT (4:34pm IST) from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. Starfall was one of 32 payloads on board the Falcon 9 rocket. The first flight of Starfall was a dedicated demonstration mission in June, proving its controlled flight and atmospheric re-entry capabilities.
Capsule details
What is the Starfall capsule?
The primary purpose of Starfall is to facilitate affordable access to microgravity for research and manufacturing.
According to a Federal Aviation Administration environmental assessment, the disk-shaped capsule is 2.5 feet tall and 10.2 feet wide.
It weighs around 2,087kg and can carry a payload of up to 998kg back to Earth.
Payloads
Bandwagon-5 mission and its payloads
Apart from Starfall, the Bandwagon-5 mission also carried W-Series 7, a mini-factory capsule by Varda Space Industries.
The other payloads included cubesats and microsats such as Pelican-12, an Earth-observation satellite by Planet.
If all goes according to plan, the 32 payloads will be deployed over nearly two hours after launch.
Starfall will separate last from Falcon 9's upper stage two hours and 48 minutes after liftoff.
Boosters
About SpaceX's rideshare missions
The Falcon 9's first stage successfully returned to Earth, landing in the Atlantic Ocean on SpaceX drone ship "A Shortfall of Gravitas."
This was the 19th mission for this particular booster.
Bandwagon is one of two SpaceX rideshare programs, with Transporter being busier with 18 missions so far.
The first Transporter mission launched in January 2021 and set a record by delivering 143 payloads to Earth orbit.